Cam operated detachable clamping carton handle

ABSTRACT

A cam operated detachable carton handle for use on milk cartons and the like, and which includes an integral rectangular housing adapted to be slidably mounted over the upper end of a carton. A handle is integrally formed on the housing. A plunger provided with retainer clip means is slidably mounted on the handle and a pivotally mounted cam is provided for camming the plunger into a recess in the upper end of the carton for releasably retaining the rectangular housing and handle in place on the carton.

United States Patent Simms [451 Sept. 19, 1972 [5 CAM OPERATEDDETACHABLE 3,421,789 1/1969 Klomparens ..294/31.2 CLAMPING CARTON HANDLE3,615,115 10/1971 Simms ..294/3l.2

[72] Inventor: James B. Simms, 8441 Birch Road, Primary Examiner EvonBhmk Taylor 48180 Assistant Examiner-Johnny D. Cherry [22] Filed: Oct.21, 1971 Attorney-Robert G. Mentag [21] Appl. No.: 191,178 [57] ABSTRACTRelated US. Application Data A cam operated detachable carton handle foruse on milk cartons and the like, and which includes an in- [63] E r of34510 May tegral rectangular housing adapted to be slidably mounted overthe upper end of a carton. A handle is integrally formed on the housing.A plunger provided [52] US. Cl. ..294/31 A, 220/85 H with retainer clipmeans is slidably mounted on the [51] Int. Cl. ..A47b 95/02 handle and apivotally mounted cam is provided for Fleld 0f A, cmnming the a recessin the upper end of 220/35 94 R; 224/45 45 P the carton for releasablyretaining the rectangular housing and handle in place on the carton.[56] References Cited 5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS3,073,642 1/ 1963 Barnes ..294/3 1.2

P'A'TENTED EP 19 I972 SHEET 1 OF 2- INVENTOR. James 5. 52172025 :A T T OR N E Y 45 a 9g 0 6 I Quid 9 W ZW PKTENTED P 1 me 3.692.346

SHEET 2 [IF 2 INVENTOR.

il/7765 5. Sim 725 ATTOPNFY CAM OPERATED DETACHABLE CLAMPING CARTONHANDLE SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This application is acontinuation-in-part of co-pending application, Ser. No. 34,310, filedMay 4, 1970.

This invention relates to a novel and improved cam operated detachablecarton handle, and more particularly to a carton handle which may bequickly and easily mounted on a milk carton or the like.

Coated paperboard cartons are used at the present time for packagingmilk, fruit juices and other fluids. Some of these cartons are made inquart sizes, others in half-gallon sizes, and still others in gallonsizes. These cartons are generally made from a suitable paperboard whichis coated with a plastic material. While these cartons are economical tomake, fill and seal, they have the disadvantage in that they aredifficult to handle. Accordingly, it is an important object of thepresent invention to provide a novel and improved cam operateddetachable carton handle which may be quickly and easily mounted on apaperboard carton, whereby the carton may be easily handled and thecontents thereof poured out in an efiicient and easy manner.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cam operateddetachable carton handle which is simple and compact in construction,economical to manufacture and light in weight.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a noveland improved cam operated detachable carton handle which is especiallyadapted for use on large coated paperboard containers and cartons, suchas one-half gallon and gallon sizes.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel andimproved cam operated detachable carton handle which embodies a camoperated pyramidal shaped retainer member provided with retainer clipmeans, and a cam means for operating said retainer member for releasablysecuring the handle to a carton.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a noveland improved cam operated detachable carton handle which includes anintegral rectangular housing, a handle integrally formed thereon, a camoperated retainer means for projecting into a recess on the carton forreleasable gripping engagement with the carton, and retainer clip meanson said cam operated retainer means for locking the retainer means tothe carton.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will beapparent from the following detailed description, appended claims, andthe accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of acam operated detachable carton holder made in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention, and showing the handle operativelyattached to the upper end of a conventional coated paperboard milkcarton.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the carton and carton handle structureillustrated in FIG. 1, taken along the line 2-2 thereof, and looking inthe direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, elevational section view of the structureillustrated in FIG. 2, taken along the line 3-3 thereof, and looking inthe direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, elevational section view of the structureillustrated in FIG. 2, taken along the line 4-4 thereof, and looking inthe direction of the arrows.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the cam operated detachablecarton handle structure of the invention and showing a slightmodification.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view, similar to FIGQZ, of a second embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, elevational section view of the structureillustrated in FIG. 6, taken along the line 77 thereof, and looking inthe direction of the arrows.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings,and in particular to FIG. 1, the numeral 10 generally designates a largesize milk carton, as for example a gallon milk carton, on which isoperatively mounted an illustrative carton handle made in accordancewith the principles of the present invention. The numerals 11 and 12 inFIG. 2 designate the two carton top end closure panels which slopeinwardly and upwardly and which are sealed together to make the sealedjoint 13 along the upper end of the carton. As viewed in FIG. 1, theleft side of the upper end of the carton 10 would be opened in the usualmanner to provide a-pouring spout. The right upper side of the upper endof the carton 10 is provided with usual recess formed by the top endclosure panels 11 and 12 and the usual upper end side upwardly slopingclosure panel 15 under the joint 13. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper endof said recess is formed bythe lower side 14 of the sealed joint 13 andthe outer sur face of panel 15. FIG. 2 illustrates the recess asextending inwardly along the convergingedges l6 and 17 of panel 15.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the detachable carton handle of the presentinvention includes a plunger or retainer member generally indicated bythe numeral 18, which is adapted to be seated inthe aforedescribedrecess. As shown in FIG. 5, the cam operated plunger or retainer 18comprises a retainer means which is provided with a substantialtriangularly shaped body, when viewed from the front end thereof, so asto nest into the aforementioned recess and engage the various slopingsurfaces of the upper end closure panels of the carton 10 which surroundthe recess. As shown in FIG. 3, the plunger 18 is provided with a rearhorizontal lower rear edge 19, and the lower surface of the plungerslopes upwardly and forwardly from the lower rear edge 19, as indicatedby the numeral 20 in FIG. 3. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the plungerretainer 18 is provided with a vertical rear surface or face 21, and acentrally disposed upper ridge 22 which separates the two downwardly,outwardly and forwardly sloping side faces 23 and 24 (FIG. 5). Thenumeral 25 in FIG. 5 designates the front vertical face of the plungerretainer 18. The numerals 26 and 27 designate the outer converging sidesof the plunger retainer 18.

As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, the plunger retainer 18 is integrallyconnected to a cam follower or cam operator generally indicated by thenumeral 28 which is cylindrical in overall configuration and which isintegrally attached to the rear face 21 of the plunger retainer 18. Thenumerals 29 in FIGS. 3 and designate the ends of a longitudinal slot 30which is formed in the cam follower 28 and which extends verticallytherethrough. As best seen in FIG. 5, the upper face of the cam follower28 is partially removed to ex pose the slot 30. The numeral 31 in FIGS.1 and 5 generally designates a handle bracket for attaching a handlegenerally indicated by the numeral 32 to the rear wall 35 of a handlehousing. The handle 32 comprises a vertically disposed portion 34 whichextends downwardly from the rear outer end of the bracket 31 and whichis attached at its upper end to the lower side 33 of the bracket 31. Thehandle bracket 31 is integrally connected to a rectangular housing whichis square and comprises the rear housing wall 35, the left side wall 36,the front wall 37, and the right side wall 38. It will be understoodthat the housing, the handle bracket 31 and handle portion 34 may beintegrally formed as an integral unit from any suitable material, as forexample a suitable plastic material.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the housing is provided with a pair ofseating tabs 40 and 42 which are carried on the upper end of apair oftab carrier legs 39 and 41, respectively. The tab carrier legs 39 and 41are integrally formed with the housing side walls 36 and 38,respectively. The seating tabs 40 and 42 slope inwardly and upwardly atan angle commensurate with the slope of the carton upper end walls 11and 12.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, a plunger rest guide 43 is integrallyformed on the upper end of the housing rear wall 35, and this guideextends rearwardly toward the handle bracket 31. A vertical cam slot isformed through the handle bracket 31, and the numeral 46 in FIG. 3designates the bottom of this slot. The numeral 47 in FIG. 3 designatesthe rear end of the cam slot. A cylindrical or round, longitudinallyextended slot 48 (FIG. 5) is formed through the handle bracket 31 in aposition above the rest guide 43. The round slot 48 is adapted toslidably receive the cylindrical cam follower or operator 28. Thenumeral 49 in FIG. 5 designates a recess or slot formed in the restguide 43 for movement therethrough of an operator cam 54. The numeral50in FIG. 1 designates a slot which communicates the cam slot in thebracket 31 with a handle slot 52 which is formed in the rear or outerface of the handle portion 34. The numeral 53 designates the lower endof the cam operator handle slot 52. The numeral 54in FIGS. 3 and 5designates generally a pivotally mounted, round-nose cam for moving theplunger retainer 28 inwardly and outwardly relative to a carton 10. Thenumeral 55 in FIGS. 3 and 5 designates the radial clamping nose or pointon the front end of the cam 54. The numeral 56 designates the lowerforward rounded end of the cam 54. A cam operator handle 57 isintegrally formed on the rear end of the cam 54. A pivot pin 60 extendsthrough suitable pin holes 59in the bracket 31 and a pin hole 58 in thecam 54 for pivotally mounting the cam 54 in the bracket 31. The numerals61 in FIG. 4 designate the front vertical faces of the bifurcatedportions of the bracket 31.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, the plunger 18 is provided with a pair ofretainer clip members, generally indicated by the numeral 62, which areadapted to be slidably mounted over the edges of the container top endclosure panels 11 and 12 to releasably lock the retainer plunger 18 inthe recess in the top end of the container 10. Each of the retainer clipmembers 62 includes a vertically disposed attachment plate 63 which isreleasably secured to the plunger 18 by any suitable means, as by aretainer screw 64. Each of the retainer clip members 62 further includesa flange member 65 which has its rear end integrally attached to theupper end of its mating attachment plate 63. The flanges 65 extend overthe plunger upper faces 23 and 24, in a spaced apart position, for thereception of the outer edges of the container top end closure panels 11and 12 when the plunger 18 is cammed into the aforementioned recess.

The handle of the invention is used by first swinging the cam operatedhandle 57 in a counterclockwise direction to move it to the broken lineposition shown in FIG. 3 so as to move the plunger retainer 18 to aretracted position relative to the housing back wall 35. The housing isthen slipped over the upper end of a carton 10 until the seating tabs 40and 41 engage the carton upper end walls 11 and 12 which limit thedownward movement of the housing over the carton. The cam operatedhandle 57 is then swung clockwise or downwardly to the solid lineposition shown in FIG. 3, whereby the retainer plunger 18 is cammed bythe cam 54 to the left as viewed in FIG. 3 into the recess at the rearend of the carton 10 below the joint member 13 and into a clampingengagement therewith. The plunger 18 may be withdrawn from the recess inthe container 10 by moving the handle 57 upwardly whereby the radiallyinward directed straight surface on the rear end of the cam adjacent thecurved lower end 56 engages the rear wall 29 of the slot in the plunger18 and moves the plunger 18 backwardly to the broken line position shownin FIG. 3.

The clip flanges 65 slide over the outer edges of the container top endclosure panels 11 and 12 and securely lock the plunger 18 to thecontainer 10. The retainer clip members 62 may be made from any suitablematerial, as for example, plastic or metal. The clip flanges 65 arespaced from the upper surfaces of the plunger 18 so that the cartonclosure panels 11 and 12 must be slightly forced into the space betweenthe plunger 18 and the flanges 65. It will be seen that the clip members62 are disposed on opposite sides of the center line 13 of the container10 when in the operative position shown in FIG. 2. After the plunger 18has been cammed into position in the recess in the upper end of thecontainer, the user may then easily lift the container 10 fortransporting and pouring purposes with safety and efficiency.

FIG. 5 illustrates a slight modification of the invention wherein thesealing tabs 40 and 42 have been omitted. The slightly modifiedstructure shown in FIG. 5 functions in the same manner as theaforementioned described structure of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention whereinthe clip retainer members have been formed integrally with the plunger18. The clip retainer members have been marked with the numerals 62a andthey function in the same manner as the retainers 62 of FIGS. 1 through5. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the clip retainers 62a are provided withthe integral attachment plate portion 63a which has its lower endintegrally formed with the plunger 18 and its upper end integrallyattached to the clip flanges 65a.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiments of theinvention herein disclosed are well calculated to fulfill the objectsabove stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptibleto modification, variation and change.

What is claimed is:

l. A detachable carton handle for mounting on the upper end of a cartonhaving a sealed top end formed by closure panels, and a recess formedunder the sealed top end, comprising:

a. a rectangular housing including a back wall, a left side wall, aright side wall, and a front wall;

b. an integral handle bracket formed on the back wall of said housing;

c. a handle integrally attached to the outer end of said handle bracket;

d. a retainer plunger slidably mounted on said handle bracket for inwardand outward movement perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of a carton;

e. retainer clip means carried on said retainer plunger for releasablelocking engagement with the edges of the carton closure panels; and,

f. cam means operatively mounted on said handle bracket for camming saidretainer plunger in one direction to an inoperative position to permitsaid LII LII

housing to be slidably mounted over the upper end of a carton, and to anoperative position to be seated in said recess in a clamping engagementwith the carton to relcasably secure the housing and handle on a carton.

2. A detachable carton handle as defined in claim 1,

wherein said cam means includes:

a. a cam follower attached to said retainer plunger and being providedwith a cam slot; and,

b. a rotatable cam pivotally mounted on said handle bracket and extendedinto said slot for operative engagement with said cam follower formoving said retainer plunger between said operative and inoperativepositions.

3. A detachable carton handle as defined in claim 2,

wherein said retainer clip means includes:

a. a pair of separately formed retainer clips attached to said retainerplunger.

4. A detachable carton handle as defined in claim 2,

wherein said retainer clip means includes:

a. a pair of integrally formed retainer clips on said retainer plunger.

5. A detachable carton handle as defined in claim 2,

including:

a. a seating tab carried on each of said side walls for locating saidhousing on the upper end of a carton.

1. A detachable carton handle for mounting on the upper end of a cartonhaving a sealed top end formed by closure panels, and a recess formedunder the sealed top end, comprising: a. a rectangular housing includinga back wall, a left side wall, a right side wall, and a front wall; b.an integral handle bracket formed on the back wall of said housing; c. ahandle integrally attached to the outer end of said handle bracket; d. aretainer plunger slidably mounted on said handle bracket for inward andoutward movement perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of a carton; e.retainer clip means carried on said retainer plunger for releasablelocking engagement with the edges of the carton closure panels; and, f.cam means operatively mounted on said handle bracket for camming saidretainer plunger in one direction to an inoperative position to permitsaid housing to be slidably mounted over the upper end of a carton, andto an operative position to be seated in said recess in a clampingengagement with the carton to releasably secure the housing and handleon a carton.
 2. A detachable carton handle as defined in claim 1,wherein said cam means includes: a. a cam follower attached to saidretainer plunger and being provided with a cam slot; and, b. a rotatablecam pivotally mounted on said handle bracket and extended into said slotfor operative engagement with said cam follower for moving said retainerplunger between said operative and inoperative positions.
 3. Adetachable carton handle as defined in claim 2, wherein said retainerclip means includes: a. a pair of separately formed retainer clipsattached to said retainer plunger.
 4. A detachable carton handle asdefined in claim 2, wherein said retainer clip means includes: a. a pairof integrally formed retainer clips on said retainer plunger.
 5. Adetachable carton handle as defined in claim 2, including: a. a seatingtab carried on each of said side walls for locating said housing on theupper end of a carton.